


Dear Hayley

by lightning16000



Category: The Originals (TV), the originals - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Human AU, Love Letters, Unplanned Pregnancy, box of letters, denying feelings, talking to your ex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 14:21:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6960544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightning16000/pseuds/lightning16000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haylijah Human AU</p><p>“I found your box of letters underneath my bed last night and because I'm a nosy person I decided to read them and they were all addressed to me and the last one was dated the day you moved out. I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea but here I am on your doorstep wondering why we aren’t together.’</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dear Hayley

Dear Hayley

Human AU

 

Hayley was getting ready to move again, she had shared her apartment with her boyfriend, Elijah. Their relationship had ended three months ago and there were too many memories that lay in the apartment. Elijah and Hayley were perfect, until they weren’t. She had failed to tell him she had slept with his brother at a college party and she had gotten pregnant with his child. It led to her giving her baby up for adoption. It made her sad thinking about the whole ordeal. As she moved to put things in boxes, ‘What to take’ or ‘What to throw out’.

She was digging under her bed when she felt something hard. She knocked against it a couple times and felt a cardboard box. She dragged the box out from underneath their bed, her bed… Inside the box lay a bunch of letters with a rubber band tied around them. Next, Hayley made the mistake of reading one of these letters. Each one started with ‘Dear Hayley,’ and every one of them made her tear up. From when he first met her at a bar to when they started dating, when they were living together, when they were going through a rough patch in their relationship and the last one was dated to the day Elijah moved out. Elijah was a talented writer, each of them held their own story.Each letter explained a different part of her he loved, from the way her eyes sparkled or the way that she would throw a tiny fit over forgetting to get creamer for her coffee. In each letter he wrote about why he loved her, how much she meant to him and how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. How she brought him out of a dark place…

_Dear Hayley,_

_We just moved in together. After a year of dating… I couldn’t be happier and I never imagined myself to be this happy after everything that has happened in my life. You make living much easier. After Katherine’s betrayal and the loss of Celeste, I didn’t know if I would ever get to be happy again. Since the day I met you, you have made my life worth living. You have made me a better man, far better than I ever hoped to be. I keep wrestling with the fact you are the person I want to spend my life with Hayley Marshall. No one has ever looked at me the way you do, like I matter. I love how confident you are and how you are never afraid to express your feelings. I struggle with that as you know all too well… I fear I may have rambled too much. Never forget I love you._

_Always and Forever,_

_Elijah_

The last one she read was the one he wrote the day he moved out. She wasn’t there, she made sure she picked up an extra shift at work so she didn’t have to face him. He terrified her like no one else, how angry and how sad he was the day he found out…

_Dear Hayley,_

_I am moving out today. We got into an argument and I think it’s best if I leave. I am going to live with Rebekah… Why didn’t you trust me Hayley? I wouldn’t have thought of you differently. I wished I heard the news from you… not Niklaus. Did you know I was in the middle of getting a ring? I was going to propose… I guess it is all for the best. If you can’t trust me, I don’t know if I would be able to live with that. I want to thank you Hayley, for pulling me out of the dark place I was in. Falling in love with you changed me for the better. I don’t know if I will be able to get over you, but you made me happy. You made me feel things I thought belonged in fairytales. Walking away from you is the hardest thing I have ever done. You have a hold on my heart I cannot break, believe me, I have tried numerous times. I fell in love with you and you had the power to break my heart. I dreamt about our children, living with you, creating our own family. I dreamt about having a life with you. Moving forward from all this, I wish you only happiness. That is all I have ever wanted for you, to be happy. I wish you the very best Hayley Marshall._

_Always and forever,_

_Elijah_

At these words Hayley broke into a sob. This man loved her so much. It should be impossible to love someone like he loved her. He dreamt about their life together, their family. He had wanted that to be his life, her and their kids running around in the yard. This made Hayley’s heart hurt, it made it heavy as the tears streamed down her face and the sobs came without her even knowing. As the night descended upon Hayley, she felt the need to visit Elijah. Grabbing her purse and her keys Hayley made her way out of the nostalgic apartment. On the way to Rebekah’s house, Hayley had brought the box of letters with her. Rebekah was one of Hayley’s best friends despite Hayley and Elijah’s breakup. Rebekah treated her like family, hoping her brother would get his head out of his arse and ask the girl to marry him already. To no avail she knew how hard it must be on both of them, so the blond kept in touch with Hayley whilst she housed her brother. Rebekah was always rooting for love. In a way she despised Klaus for telling Elijah about Hayley and their daughter. Rebekah thought it was his fault for not caring for his child, leaving the poor girl with no choice but to give her baby up. As Hayley arrived to Rebekah’s house she felt this hole in her stomach. She didn’t know why she felt this way… well she did but she didn’t want to admit it, not yet at least. Not until she walked up to the door…

She felt anxious, nervous that Elijah would hate her forever. She gave him every reason to hate her for everything, not telling him about sleeping with his brother, his niece and everything in between. As Hayley rung the doorbell with the box of letters in her arms she took a step back. As luck would have it, Elijah opened the door. At first his face remained expressionless, then it morphed into one of surprise and pain. He looked so immaculate as always, his hair perfect and wearing a simple dark suit with a stark white shirt and a crimson red tie. He let his left hand slide into his pocket, resuming his usual stature that everyone was so used to seeing him in. Hayley smiled nervously, gesturing to the box in her arms.

“I think I found something that belongs to you.” Hayley said softly. Elijah paused for a moment before shaking his head. “Did you read them?” Hayley hesitantly nodded her head in reply. “Yes, I did.” She said in a small voice. “Then I’m sure you know those are yours.” Elijah said, his throat constricting as he talked. Why was she here? Why now? Why did she come back after all these months? He wasn’t over her yet, he wasn’t sure if he ever would be, but he was trying his damn hardest. Hayley paused, they were written to her but they were Elijah’s letters. She guessed they were hers but she had no better excuse. Why wasn’t she aware of the box when they were together? Why now did she find out about these letters? These beautiful letters he wrote to her that made her feel so special. She looked at him, looking at the pain in his eyes.

“Why didn’t you give them to me when we were together?” Hayley asked softly. Elijah looked to the ground before looking up at her again. He had hoped she would never find the letters that acted as a diary for him. “They were a way for me to express what I was feeling without telling you. It was my way of keeping a journal, I suppose.” Elijah said solemnly. He didn’t know what more to say, he had said everything he was feeling in those letters. He was never good with expressing his feelings, especially not to her. Hayley was confused at why he was never entirely open with her. He claimed to love her more than anything, if he can’t even share these beautiful letters with her… who does that? “Is there something you needed Hayley?” Elijah asked softly, his voice sounding almost defeated. At his tone, Hayley’s heart twisted inside her chest. No words could express what she was feeling right now, she wanted him back so desperately but she knew they couldn’t be together if they didn’t trust each other.

“Closure.” She responded weakly. Elijah was never one to be an open book, he tried not to be, allowing the walls he’s created to shield him from harm. When Hayley entered his life, within minutes she shattered walls he had worked years to fortify. “We can’t trust each other and we can’t be together because of it. No matter what we feel for one another.” Elijah said with a shaky tone. The words coming out of Elijah’s mouth were words Hayley knew all too well but she didn’t want to hear them. She needed to, if she was ever going to move on from him and everything that they had. She had a feeling she was never going to feel as strongly for anyone as she did Elijah. He was her first love and you never forget your first love.

“Right.” Hayley said, she could feel the tears pricking her eyes. Elijah looked away as the tears began to fall on Hayley’s cheeks. He couldn’t bear to see her in such pain, especially pain he’s caused her. He felt the involuntary squeeze around his heart, begging to be ripped out of his chest to finally end his pain. “This is for the best Hayley.” Elijah said grimly. As if any of this weren’t sad enough the box of letters was still in her arms. “Do you want these?” She asked quietly, a sniffle following her words. She met Elijah’s dark eyes, his once warm dark chocolate eyes made of ice. Elijah couldn’t bear to keep such sentimental letters that reminded him of so much pain. He shook his head, words continuing to fail him. He cleared his throat gently before speaking. “No, I wrote them for you. You may do what you wish with them.” Elijah said plainly. Hayley nodded, unsure of what to do next. She just knew she wasn’t keen on making this conversation end. Once they were finished with this conversation they were over for good. Elijah knew the next words he would speak had to be said, despite his lingering feelings, despite everything he felt.

“Goodbye Hayley.” Elijah breathed. Hayley felt more tears form in her eyes, with a small sniffle she forced a smile. “Goodbye Elijah.” She whispered loud enough for him to hear. Hayley returned to her car, tears flowing freely down her face with the box of letters in her arms. Elijah had closed the door, his back pressed against the wooden door. He slid down until he was sitting, Rebekah joining him quickly. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked with a hand on his shoulder. Elijah shook his head, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. Rebekah sat next to her brother, laying her head on his shoulder. She knew how deeply he loved her and it hurt to see her brother like this. Hayley sat in her car, the box of letters on the seat next to her. She didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know how to continue on from here. They were finished and there was no going back. She felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest. This was it, things between her and Elijah would never be the same. All because of the drunken mistake she had made over 7 years ago.


End file.
